Venus Williams reaches lowest point of WTA career in 30 years amid continued absence
Venus Williams officially dropped out of the WTA rankings for the first time in 30 years as she lost her points earned at the 2024 Miami Open. The American has not competed for a whole year, raising further doubts about her future in tennis.
The 44-year-old last played two events in 2024, namely, the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells and the Miami Open. She announced later that year that she was not hanging up the racket just yet.
This year, Venus Williams received a wildcard at the Indian Wells event, and the organizers even claimed that she had accepted it. However, the seven-time Grand Slam champion later denied it. She was spotted practicing at the Miami Open with Ons Jabeur, and there were rumors that she may make a comeback in doubles, but that also did not materialize.
With the completion of the 2025 edition of the 'Sunshine Double,' Williams' points on the WTA Tour dried out and, as of now, she officially has no points and has dropped out of the rankings. This has happened for the first time in 30 years since she made her debut.
It is still unknown if we will see the seven-time Grand Slam champion on the pro-tour again.
Venus Williams denied accepting Indian Wells wildcard after she was announced as one of the participants
Earlier in February, the official Indian Wells social media announced that Venus Williams was given a wildcard to play in the BNP Paribas Open. However, Williams soon shut the story down by claiming she had not accepted any wildcard as she had other plans.
As per the Tennis Weekly Podcast, Venus Williams said:
"No, I'm not playing… I’m actually not going, I'm going to be overseas. I'm not going to be here. So I’m watching it on TV... I found out about the wildcard when you guys did. I love Indian Wells and I would love to be there. If I could have accepted it, I would have been like ‘yes’, but I already have other commitments."
Tournament director Tommy Haas later said in a social media statement:
"Our team has been informed that Venus is not accepting the wild card this year. We wish Venus all the best and hope to see her back in Indian Wells in the future."
In October last year, Williams had said that she did not plan on hanging up her racket yet. Since then, however, she has been spotted on the court a few times but has not played an official match.